


Vine

by katie_049



Series: Little Things [4]
Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Tumblr: BFFP (Chicago Fire)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katie_049/pseuds/katie_049
Summary: Andrew made her happy, and she enjoyed their time together. He made her feel warm and light inside, but deep down, she knew something was missing. Not from his side, but from hers. Of course, she knew what it was, but until now she had ignored it. She kept telling herself that she just needed to spend a little more time with him. To give her heart a chance to catch up with her brain. Surely that would work, right?Prompt Fic for the BFFP on tumblr.“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” - Miracle on 34th Street
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Series: Little Things [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023634
Comments: 23
Kudos: 81





	Vine

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have some great days.  
> In Germany, we actually have three days of Christmas, and since I have a very dysfunctional family, we're adding a fourth day to it this year. I still managed to write this though, so enjoy! 
> 
> I know we'll be sad to see Andrew go, but this is a Brettsey story, and they will grow closer again now. Matt's finally putting in the work, and the next few parts will be about him wooing her. I also realized I'll never finish this in time for the show to come back, but well :)

_“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” - Miracle on 34th Street  
_

“Here you go, buddy. I think you’ll love this one. Merry Christmas,” Lieutenant Andrew Reed said cheerfully to the 5-year-old boy in front of them as he handed him a beautifully wrapped present.

Sylvie watched as the kid’s eyes widened in excitement, and the smile on her face intensified at the pure joy of the young child. At this point, her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much all afternoon.

Andrew and she were volunteering at the CFD’s annual toy drive together, and they had just handed out their last gift for the day. It had been great to see Andrew interact with all the kids. He was a true natural. It didn’t surprise her though, as he was just a genuinely cheerful person. He had also told her about his two little nephews, he babysat from time to time for his sister, so he had some experience on that front. And being good with kids just made him even more attractive. As if he needed that.

“Looks like we’re done for the day,” the lieutenant addressed her as the boy and his mother left their table. Stepping closer to her, he slipped an arm around her waist. “I have a suggestion. Since it’s a weeknight and it’s already getting dark outside, we could go to the Lincoln Park Zoo to see the Zoo Lights. It shouldn’t be too crowded today, and it’s also not terribly late.”

Biting her lip, she glanced up at him. “I did want to see those.”

Andrew chuckled softly. “That’s why I’m suggesting it. You’ve been talking about it a lot, and I think it might be nice to see. I’ve never been before.”

Wrapping her own arm around him, she leaned into him, pushing her head back to look up at him. “Well, in that case, we have to go. You’ve been living in Chicago your entire life, but you have never seen the Zoo Lights. That’s impossible, Andrew. I promise you, you’re gonna love it. Trust me.”

“I love spending time with you, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy the Christmas lights too,” he assured her, squeezing her tightly before separating from her. “And besides, I grew up in Naperville. That still counts as the suburbs.”

“Oh please, that’s still only an hour away. That’s hardly an excuse.” Sylvie shook her head in amusement, reaching under the table to grab her purse and jacket.

Ever the gentleman, Andrew took the jacket from her hands and helped her put it on. Lifting his hand to her head, he tapped his fingers against her antlers. “You still have your hairband on.”

She tilted her head to the side, making the little bells on her antlers ring. Squinting her eyes at him, she pushed out her chin. “Do you have something to say about my antlers? The kids loved them. I got a lot of compliments today.”

Andrew put on his jacket too, shaking his head with a twinkle in his eyes. “No, you look cute with them, but you won’t fit into my car like this. I’m sorry to disappoint.”

“You’re a charmer, Lieutenant Reed.”

“If that were true, I would have told you you’re always beautiful. Antlers or not.” He shrugged, stretching out his hand to her. “Come on, let’s go.”

With a soft huff, she interlaced her fingers with his. “Definitely a charmer.”

“Never heard you complain before.” He lifted their hands to his lips, pulling down his mask and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. It had become their thing. Well, his thing.

Whenever they were together, Andrew tried to hold her hand as often as possible. By now, Sylvie felt like she could categorize all his callouses, and the soft brushing of his thumb against the back of her hand always made her feel warm.

On rare occasions, he would also rest his hand on her back or waist, but apart from that, he respected her boundaries. It didn’t seem to bother him they hadn’t kissed, even after spending the better part of the last three weeks together. Instead, he made it his goal to make her laugh as much as possible.

Andrew made her happy, and she enjoyed their time together. He made her feel warm and light inside, but deep down, she knew something was missing. Not from his side, but from hers. Of course, she knew what it was, but until now she had ignored it. She kept telling herself that she just needed to spend a little more time with him. To give her heart a chance to catch up with her brain.

Andrew crossed all her boxes. They worked the same job, they shared a lot of interests, and he was a genuinely nice and stand-up guy. Adding to that, he was ridiculously handsome, and he loved kids. But more importantly, he cared about her and made her feel like the most important person in the universe. He was all she had ever looked for in her partner.

So no, she couldn’t just give up on her chance with him. She just needed to work a little harder and stop being so afraid of taking the next step with him. What could go wrong?

With a tug to her hand, the lieutenant urged her to go, placing his mask over his face again, but she stayed rooted in her place, pulling him back by their hands.

“Andrew?” She called out to him in a soft voice.

“Hm?” He turned around to her, looking at her expectantly, his brows lifted, and his green eyes full of calm.

“Thank you for being so wonderful,” she whispered as she pulled down her mask. Resting her hand on his chest, she pushed herself onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to the skin of his cheek just above his mask.

A breath of surprise left his throat, but he quickly caught himself, pulling down his own mask and sending her a soft smile.

“You’re making it easy, Sylvie. I’m lucky I get to spend time with you,” he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her closer. Lowering his head, he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering for a few seconds before he pulled away.

Her lips tugged upward too as heat rushed to her cheeks. Averting her gaze, she stepped back to his side, placing her mask over her mouth and nose. Her fingers interlaced back with his, and instead of putting more distance between them, her other hand wrapped around his arm too.

Andrew squeezed her hand, and she glanced back up to him. A cheerful grin covered his face, and he sent her a quick wink before putting his mask in place again too.

“Let’s go see the Zoo Lights,” he told her, and she could tell by the sound of his voice alone that her gesture had meant a lot to him.

Nodding softly, she fell into step with him, leaning her head against his shoulder. Well, that wasn’t too hard, was it?

* * *

Almost three hours later, they exited the Lincoln Park Zoo after leisurely strolling through it while enjoying the various displays of Christmas lights. Thankfully, Andrew had been right, and it hadn’t been too crowded. They had to keep their masks on through the entire zoo, but Sylvie didn’t mind.

After leaving the toy drive, Andrew had been extra cheerful, which probably had to do with their short exchange. He had also gotten a bit bolder, wrapping his arm around her waist to keep her close by his side, instead of just holding her hand. It had felt nice, and Sylvie had been glad to have pushed herself out of her comfort zone. For Andrew and herself.

When they reached Andrew’s car, they both pulled their masks off, coming to a halt at the passenger door.

“You were right. I did miss out on this holiday tradition,” Andrew mused, placing his hands on her waist. “I’m glad you introduced me to it now.”

“Well, I’m glad you suggested going today. I had a lovely time,” Sylvie answered with a smile, scrunching up her nose. “You should listen to me more often. I have a lot of good ideas.”

The lieutenant chuckled. “I know you do. I am a little unsure about your obsession with all those HGTV shows though. Can’t say I’ve ever watched those before.”

Resting her hands on his chest, she gasped at him in mock disbelief. “Another thing you missed out on. You will have to get used to them though because I love them. I rarely change my TV channel.”

Locking eyes with her, he lifted one of his hands to her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think I can live with that.” His fingers trailed over her cheekbone, and he tilted his head to the side. “You have the ability to make everything just a little better.”

She huffed nervously, before taking a deep breath. They had been at this point before, and she willed her nerves to calm down. If she wanted to have a real chance with Andrew, she needed to have a little faith. She could do this.

Swallowing down the excessive saliva that had gathered in her mouth, she slid her hands up his chest and to his shoulders. Her eyes never left his, and she felt herself getting lost in his piercing green eyes. The way he looked at her made her heart beat hard against her chest, and her lips parted in anticipation.

Cupping her cheek tenderly, he leaned closer to her until she could feel his breath against her face. In a low, breathy voice, he whispered against her lips, “Can I kiss you?”

With a weak nod of her head, she pushed herself onto her tiptoes, grabbing onto the labels of his jacket for support. Andrew pulled her closer to him with the hand on her lower back, steadying her as he closed his eyes.

Their noses bumped clumsily together, and it pulled an amused huff from Andrew’s throat that fanned over her face. Gently holding her head in place, he realigned their lips, but instead of closing the distance, he hovered over them, giving her one last chance to pull back.

Taking in one last small breath, she closed her own eyes and crossed the remaining few inches between them, pressing her lips against his cold ones. It was a chaste kiss. Just the press of their lips against each other, and it was over as soon as it had started. As they parted again, she could still feel Andrew’s smile against her lips though.

For a second, they just stood there, their lips hovering over each other as they breathed the same air. Just as Sylvie could feel her brain begin to rattle, Andrew leaned back in, sliding his lips against hers a bit more urgent.

It stopped her train of thoughts immediately, and she let her hands wander to his neck, her hands framing his face. At first, their kiss stayed gentle with their lips slowly dragging against each other, but when they parted again, and Sylvie pulled in a ragged breath, Andrew instantly connected their lips once more. This time, his kiss was hungrier, and he nipped at her bottom lip, his tongue sliding over the seam of her mouth.

It caused her mind to flash back to Matt and to the way he had kissed her all those weeks ago. Matt’s lips had felt heavenly against hers, and she had loved the feeling of his gentle but urgent kisses. It had clouded her senses and made her forget about the rest of the world. Together with the way his hands had stroked over her body, she had felt like she would explode from just being in his arms.

The memory made a shiver run down her back, and instead of opening her mouth for Andrew, she slowed their kiss and pulled away from him. She wasn’t ready for this. For any of this.

“Andrew, hold on,” she appealed, her hands sliding down to his chest to put a bit more distance between them.

He sucked in a deep breath, looking dazed as his forehead wrinkled. “What’s wrong? Was I too forward? I’m sorry if I got a little carried away.”

“No, it’s not that.” Boy, she had said those exact words just a few weeks ago to another man. She was such a hypocrite. Swallowing hard, she pressed her lips into a tight line. How was she supposed to break up with this wonderful man? He didn’t deserve any of this.

“Then what is it? You can tell me anything, Sylvie. It’s OK,” he soothed her, his thumb still brushing over her cheekbone.

Glancing up to him, she was met with his concerned eyes, and it just made everything harder. Tears pressed against the back of her eyes, and she bit her lip. “I’m so sorry, Andrew. I can’t… I…,” she stuttered, pulling in a shaky breath. “I’m just not ready for this.”

He bowed his head at her words, drawing in a long breath. Releasing the air slowly out of his lungs, he swallowed hard. “I’m guessing there is nothing I can say that would change your mind, huh?”

“It has nothing to do with you, Andrew. You’re wonderful, and any woman who gets to be with you should consider herself lucky. You made me feel really special these last few weeks, but it’s not fair that I can’t do the same for you,” she explained with a trembling voice.

A silent tear escaped her eye, running down her cheek until it reached Andrew’s thumb. Absentmindedly, he brushed it away; the moisture making her skin feel even colder.

“I knew there had to be a catch,” the lieutenant sighed, lifting his head, and staring over her shoulder. “When I saw you at that scene, marching right back to the trapped woman in the car after nearly going up in flames, I knew I’d be dumb if I didn’t at least try to ask you out.” He paused, huffing softly. “I never thought you would say yes in the first place, but when you did, I counted all my lucky stars. Someone with your compassion and kindness doesn’t come around too often.” He shifted his gaze back to hers, watching her with sad eyes. “I thought we clicked in this unique way, and I thought there was this spark between us, but maybe it was just me. I’m glad you’re honest with me about this.”

She really didn’t deserve him. She was breaking his heart, and yet he still tried to comfort her. Why couldn’t her stupid heart just let go of Matt Casey? It was unfair.

“We did connect, Andrew. I felt it too, and I promise you, I never led you on,” she assured him, her eyes falling onto her hands on his chest. “I enjoyed our time together, and I thought that I just needed a little more time to feel that spark. To let myself be in this with you. But the truth is, I’m not ready to be with someone new.”

Sliding his hand to her chin, Andrew gently urged her to look up to him. When their eyes met, she saw nothing but understanding in them. “I know that you didn’t lead me on, Sylvie. You gave me a chance, and you tried your best. In the end, it wasn’t enough, but that’s not your fault.”

Shaking her head, her hands formed fists on his chest, and she nudged him softly. “How can you be so understanding? I’m breaking up with you, and you’re still the one to comfort me when it should be the other way around. Do you know how perfect you are, Andrew Reed?”

A laugh bubbled out of him, and he framed her face with his hands as he pressed one last kiss to her forehead. “I’m not gonna lie, Sylvie. You are breaking my heart here, but I’m glad you’re not letting me be your rebound. God knows I would have let you.” With a deep breath, he pulled away from her, taking a step back to put a respectable distance between them. “You’re perfect too, Sylvie, and I hope you’ll find your happiness.”

The second he had stepped back, a shiver ran through her, and she instantly missed his warmth. Even if she didn’t feel anything more than deep affection for him, it still hurt to know that her time with him had just come to an end.

“Thank you, Andrew,” she said, reaching out to squeeze his arm one last time too. “You’ll find the right person for yourself too.” Pulling her hand back, she wrapped her arms around herself, sending him an apologetic smile.

The lieutenant gave her a curt nod before he opened the door of the passenger side of his car. “Come on, I’ll drive you home. You’re cold.”

Grateful that their talk hadn’t gone worse, she stepped around him, lowering herself into the passenger seat. Andrew really was too good for her. He deserved someone who would love him with no holds barred.

“It’s Captain Casey, isn’t it?” Andrew questioned her with his hand on top of the passenger door. “He’s the someone you can’t let go.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks, and her heart hammered against her chest. She felt like she had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Folding her hands in her lap, she averted her gaze onto them. “How did you know? We never talked about him.”

“It was written all over his face when I pushed you away from the car. His concern for you went far behind that of a captain. He looked like he almost lost the most important person in his life. It just came to me that it might go both ways,” Andrew explained with a shrug.

It was crazy how everybody kept telling her about Matt’s feelings for her, but Matt himself seemed to be the only one who couldn’t tell her. It placed a cloud of sadness over her.

“Well, I don’t know what happened with you guys, but I hope he knows how lucky he is,” Andrew offered before closing her door.

His words felt like a punch to the gut, and Sylvie banged her head back against the headrest. She wanted to be mad at Matt for being such a mess, but no matter how hard she tried, her heart kept clinging on to Matt Casey like a vine.

* * *

With Christmas being a little different this year due to the pandemic, Sylvie had decided to not drive down to Fowlerton to visit her family. It made her sad, but her folks weren’t the youngest anymore, and she didn’t want to take the risk to get them sick.

Instead, Herrmann and Cindy had invited her to come to their place on the morning of the 25th. It was a nice offer, one that Sylvie had accepted with no hesitation. She loved the Herrmann’s, and her only other option had been going over to Stella’s place, but that was a little out of question with Matt being there. Of course, she could have also stayed home, but spending Christmas morning alone was just sad.

They were all working on the 24th, and after a nice dinner that Gallo and Mackey had cooked together, they had sat together for a while longer until everyone had wandered off to get some sleep. Luckily for them, it seemed to be a quiet night.

Sylvie wasn’t tired though, so she had curled up on the couch in the common room with a hot chocolate in her hand, turning on the TV to watch a Christmas movie. After zapping through various channels, she found ‘Miracle on 34th Street’. It was a classic, and while she usually loved all those Hallmark movies, she simply wasn’t in the mood for them right now.

Her break up with Andrew was still fresh, and she didn’t need to see another couple falling happily in love over Christmas. It was the last thing she needed.

Leaning her head against the back of the couch, Sylvie relaxed in her seat with her legs tucked under herself, concentrating on the movie on the TV screen. She must have been more tired than she thought though, because soon her eyes began to drop, and before she knew it, she was asleep.

She didn’t know how long she dozed off, but the loud clang of something hitting the floor pulled her out of her sleep with a shriek. It took her a second to take in her surroundings, and once her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she found Matt standing between the coffee table and the couch, watching her nervously.

Confused, she pushed herself up in her seat, noticing that her cup was gone from her hands, and she was covered with a blanket.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Matt apologized, crouching down to pick whatever had fallen down up again. He blindly patted over the floor until he found the reason for the loud clang from a few seconds ago. It was the remote control.

Pulling the blanket tighter around herself, she cleared her throat. “Did you get me the blanket?”

Leaning back on his heels, Matt propped his arm onto the couch, smoothing his hand over the cushion. “I did. You looked cold, but I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Nodding her head, she glanced back to the TV. The movie was still playing, so she couldn’t have slept that long. When her gaze shifted back to Matt, she found a small present standing on the coffee table in front of her.

Confused, she looked at Matt. “What is that?” She asked, untangling one of her arms from the blanket to point towards the wrapped gift.

“Uhm,” he stammered, his hand lifting to scratch his neck. “I got you something for Christmas.”

“Oh,” she gasped, sitting up straight on the couch. “Do you want me to open it now or should I wait?” Her curiosity quickly got the better of her, and she reached forward to grab the gift before he could answer.

“Only if you want to,” Matt answered, biting the inside of his cheek.

Her eyes flicked back to him. He was still crouched between the couch and the table, one of his hands resting on the couch. He looked uncomfortable, and so she nodded to the empty space on the couch next to her. “You can sit if you like.”

They still weren’t really back to talking after their latest fallout. Sylvie had resigned herself to the fact that Matt wouldn’t fight for her, since he hadn’t done a thing after she had called him out on it. It made her breakup with Andrew just a bit worse. On shift, they were civil with each other, but their conversations stuck to work-related topics only.

Matt shifted in his spot, pushing himself off the floor and onto the couch. He made sure to sit down on the far end of it to leave enough space between them.

Turning her attention back to her gift, she shook it softly, making it rattle in her hands. It was a rectangle shape that was just a bit bigger than a coffee mug. She had honestly no clue what it could be, and her brain was running at full speed to figure it out. It was beautifully wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper with a red bow placed on top of it.

“Did you wrap it yourself?” Sylvie asked him as she smoothed her fingers over the glittery snowflakes on the paper.

Matt huffed. “Surprisingly, I did.”

A smile tugged at her lips, and she gently pried the bow off. After hesitating for a second, she carefully peeled the tape off too. He had obviously taken great care while wrapping it, and she felt sorry for destroying his work.

Unwrapping the paper and pushing it to the side, she grabbed onto the box, holding it up in front of her. Heat rose to her cheeks as she realized what he had gotten her, and she quickly lowered it to her lap, not daring to take her eyes off it.

It was a small bobblehead figure of Captain America.

“Do you not like it?” Matt asked in concern, and she felt him shift in his spot.

“No, it’s… Uhm,” she grasped for words, but she couldn’t find any. Did he know?

“I know you lost Sharky during the crash, and at first I wanted to get you a new one, but then I thought I should get you something new instead,” Matt explained, resting his hand on the couch. “I wanted to get you one of those HGTV figures, but I couldn’t find any, so I asked Stella what else you might like.”

Oh no, Stella Kidd was dead.

“I honestly don’t know anything about this guy, except that his name is Captain America, and he’s a superhero in a movie,” Matt added helplessly. “If you don’t like it, I can exchange it for something else.”

Bless Matt Casey for not keeping up with Marvel and the Avengers. It meant that he didn’t get the joke behind his present, because Sylvie was sure that otherwise, he would be more than a little embarrassed about it.

It had all started with a little too much wine and Sylvie’s heartbreak over Matt right after their kiss. Stella had come over, and they had gotten drunk on red wine. At some point, the two of them had started to exchange stories from various calls during which both Severide and Casey got a little too reckless. The latest one being of Matt jumping out of the moving fire truck like Captain America.

The memory pulled a soft chuckle out of her that she was barely able to suppress. Maybe someday, she would let Matt in on this story, but not today.

“No, Matt. Thank you. It’s very thoughtful of you. I love it,” she quickly assured him, meeting his eyes.

His shoulders sacked in relief, and a small smile spread over his face. “It might not be Sharky, but maybe it can also make you smile.”

There was no doubt in her mind that she had to place the small figure on the dashboard of the ambulance. Anything else would be rude. To some extent, it would definitely make her smile, but it would mostly make her think of Matt. And right now, she wasn’t 100% sure if that was good or bad.

“There’s something else, I’d like to say, Sylvie,” Matt said, squaring his shoulders, and pulling her attention away from the figure in her hands. He sounded a bit more serious than before, and worry bubbled up in her.

She placed her gift onto the coffee table, folding her hands in her lap to stop herself from twisting her watch. So far, their conversation today had gone well, and a part of her was afraid that whatever he had to say would cause another argument between them.

Pursing his lips, Matt took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly again. “I want to apologize for my behavior last week. I was out of line, and I had no right to say what I did. I was jealous.”

Her mouth fell open at his words, and she mustered him in surprise. Did Matt Casey just apologize and admit his jealousy in the same sentence? That was for sure something she would have never guessed to happen.

“From what I know, Lieutenant Reed is a decent guy. He seems to make you happy, and that is all that matters,” he continued in a calm voice, folding his hands in his lap too.

Another wave of surprise flashed through her, and her stomach started to harden. What was happening right now? Was this his way of giving up completely? But then why did he give her this super thoughtful gift? A million questions ran through her mind, and she was at a loss for words.

“I started talking to Chaplin Sanders,” Matt confessed with a heavy sigh. “There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve been carrying with me for too long, and it’s time that I finally face it. After spending the better part of the last month being angry, I realized that it wasn’t something I could do by myself.”

Her heart was hammering against her chest at this point. She felt overwhelmed by all this information, and what it could possibly mean for their future as friends or as something more.

It was easier to focus on the friend part for now, so she concentrated on that. And as his friend pride filled her chest. It was a big step, and it must have taken a lot of courage from his side to finally take it.

“Matt,” she breathed in amazement, finding her voice again. “That’s great. I’m so proud of you.”

He grimaced, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s something.” He didn’t seem 100% convinced about talking to the chaplain, but Sylvie knew that once Matt had started something, he always saw it through to the end.

The topic clearly made him uncomfortable as he started to fiddle with his watch. After a beat longer, he suddenly stood up from his spot on the couch, his arms falling loosely down his sides. “Anyway, it’s just something I wanted to share with you. I won’t hold you up any longer.”

His sudden urge to leave made her long for just a few more minutes with him. She could barely understand what happened in the last few minutes, but she knew it meant that he finally made some progress. Sure, there was still a lot to unpack, but he had made a start and that counted in her books.

When her eyes sought him out one last time, he had already walked around the coffee table, passing the TV. Before he could leave the room though, she called out to him.

“Hey, Matt?”

He stopped just as he touched the handle of the door, glancing back at her.

“I’m not seeing Andrew anymore.”

She wasn’t entirely sure why she told him about her breakup. Maybe it was because he had shared something meaningful from his life, and she felt compelled to do the same. Or maybe it was because she wanted him to know. She honestly wasn’t sure.

“Oh.” Matt blinked a few times, his forehead wrinkling. It seemed like his brain wasn’t quite ready to process this new piece of information yet. Holding her gaze for a second longer, he nodded softly, “OK.”

With that, he pushed the handle of the door down, the door squeaking loudly as he pushed it open and stepped through it. 

Sylvie watched him walk down the hallway towards the bunkrooms, and once he disappeared out of her sight, she tiredly slummed down in her seat. What just happened?


End file.
